It’s time for headphones.
Podcasts are a simple and great way to find inspiration for your next story idea, dig into researching a topic you’re curious about incorporating into your novel, or to simply fill your creative well and be told a captivating story.
I tend toward storytelling that incorporates fairy and folk tales with a heavy dose of otherworldliness. I love walking the line of “Is this real or is this magic?”
My author tagline is Writing at the crossroads of history, fairy tales, & magic for a reason. I’m always draw to the liminal places between worlds.
Have you subscribed to my newsletter, Between Worlds?
That’s where I explore the intersections of life as well as share regular writing updates, reading bits & bobs, the occasional fairy tale or folklore curiosities, and other oddities.
PODCASTS FOR STORY INSPIRATION
A few of my go to podcasts for story inspiration are Lore, Myths & Legends, Cabinet of Curiosities, and Tales.
As a fairy and folktale aficionado, Tales and Myths & Legends hit the spot by bringing in the history, and longer versions of familiar tales. Both of these podcasts mainly focus on telling stories and occasionally dip into the history of variations. You’ll find old familiar stories and one’s you’ve yet to come across.
Lore and Cabinet of Curiosities, both by the same creator, feed my “What if it’s real?” crossroads—history, the otherworldly, and tales.
Tales (only on Spotify)
“Traditional fairy tales aren’t exactly suitable for kids. Women vomit spiders. Children get eaten. There’s even murder! Every week, we take you through the twists and turns of the dark origins of your favorite pieces of folklore.”
Myths & Legends
“…tell stories from myths, legends, and folklore that have shaped cultures throughout history. Some, like the stories of Aladdin, King Arthur, and Hercules are stories you think you know, but with surprising origins. Others are stories you might not have heard, but really should. All the stories are sourced from world folklore, but retold for modern ears.”
Lore
“Lore is a bi-weekly podcast (now also a TV show and book series) about dark historical tales. Each episode explores the mysterious creatures, tragic events, and unusual places that fill the pages of history. Because sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction.”
Cabinet of Curiosities
“Each twice-weekly episode features two short tales that take listeners on a guided tour of the unbelievable, the unsettling, and the bizarre.”
PODCASTS THAT INSPIRED MY STORYTELLING
As a mother of four and writer, my time is often limited, so podcasts are a great way to get research in and stir my story pot to simmering.
When I was researching and drafting my book The Sea and All Its Stars (Little Mermaid x Greek gods retelling set in Byzantine Greece) I listened to a lot of the podcast Byzantium & Friends by historian and author Anthony Kaldellis.
With The Haunting of Magnolia Woods (still drafting), I found all the episodes I could where Lumbee historian and professor Malinda Maynor Lowery was interviewed about Lumbees in the Jim Crow South.
There’s a project that’s not-so quietly circulating in my head where I did some deep dives into the history of lycanthropy and the werewolf trials of Europe. Did you even know that was a thing? It was. Be prepared.
I’m currently listening to Witches by BBC Radio 4 and it’s got my wheels turning. Fascinating.
There’s endless inspiration out there and, if you’re like me, you like your magical, otherworldly tales to be rooted in history then podcasts are a great place for research and inspiration.
